This ex-marine left his old regimented life behind in favour of hitting the road in a retro Volkswagen T25 van

The 26-year-old grew up in the quaint village of Yealmpton in Devon before spending his early adult years serving in the military as a Royal Marines Commando, where he developed a keen interest in travel.

He said: “I grew up in a bilingual family as my mother is Spanish whilst my father is from Plymouth, so I’ve always been very open-minded and interested in learning about and experiencing other cultures.

“My parents were actually the main inspiration for me buying the van, when me and my twin sister were younger our parents owned two VW vans themselves, so I’ve got a lot of good memories stored away about the lifestyle and places we visited.

“I left home at a fairly young age to join the marines, which equipped me with a considerable amount of skills that have definitely helped on my travels.

“Those kinds of experiences have a big impact on you and the lessons I learned during that time will stay with me for the rest of my life.”

Will purchased his own VW in early May for just £1,800 and renovated it over the course of six weeks for an additional £500.

Will is hoping to take his van on a a transcontinental trip from Europe through to Asia

He continued: “The best thing about it is being able to abolish normality – the locations are great but it’s the feeling of freedom that makes this kind of lifestyle stand out for me.

“That might have something to do with the rigidity of being in the forces, but for me there’s nothing more exciting than starting the ignition and not having the slightest idea where your next destination is.

“It’s not all plain sailing though, the van doesn’t have power steering so I’ve ended up exchanging my previous lack of freedom for tendinitis, so everything comes at a price!”

Will wanted a rustic wooden interior but hadn’t come across any T25 done like that, so it was all trial and error

He added: “I’m trying to focus on studying again now and I’m hoping my practical skills I’ve picked up over the last few years tied with the academic skills I’m developing will lead me on to even bigger challenges.

“I’ve been modelling on the side regularly for a couple of years now, working with different clients around the country and while it’s been a great experience and I’ve met some amazing people, but it’s not where my heart lies.

“I want to take the van as far east as I can get it, possibly a transcontinental trip – Europe through to Asia.”